BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Digital Forensics

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry. 

Contact hours and assessment

• Details of the assessment methods and contact hours for each unit of the course can be found in the programme specification. 

Why study BSc (Hons) Cyber Security with Digital Forensics at BU?

• Develop the versatility and personal qualities to manage, implement and assess the security of business activities in a global context
• Build and improve your applied technical skills to weaponise technology to prevent or respond to security incidents in any organisation
• Engage in a series of practical, industry-focused tasks and co-participate in a range of research projects, not only with BU staff but experts from other institutions and industries in the UK and the world
• Gain valuable work experience on your placement if you choose to take one
• You’ll be qualified to work as an IT security professional in all sectors where cyber security plays a critical role
• Typical graduation roles include police digital forensics investigator, digital forensics consultant, pen tester, information security analyst or cyber security analyst

EC Council Partnership status

• The EC-Council is one of the world's largest technical cybersecurity certification bodies. Having become one of their academia partners, students from this course will be offered opportunities to access resources of EC-Council, including discounted prices for learning material (e.g. ebooks and iLabs) on various security topics (e.g. ethical hacking and malware forensics), certification (e.g. CEH/CHFI) exam voucher discounts, and free tickets to EC-Council events (e.g. Hacker Halted).

CISCO Network Academy

• BU is a member of the Cisco Network Academy program; this allows us to offer students the chance to study for internationally recognised industry certifications in computer networking and related areas. The CCNA Cisco Certified Network Associate course forms the basis for Cisco’s certification program. It is desirable to employer’s and can act as base for more advanced professional certifications.

Foundation year option (if you do not meet the entry requirements for the degree course)
Core Units

• Academic Study Skills for Engineering and Technology: You will gain the fundamental academic and research skills required for degree level study. The unit will introduce you to a broad grounding in literature searching, literature review, data collection, methodological approach, data analysis and interpretation and ethical practice. It will also support you to begin to develop a critical and analytical approach to your work and identify areas for personal development.
• Introduction to Computers: This unit will enable you to develop a basic knowledge and understanding of computer technology and its role in the modern world. It will also cover a range of practical computing skills and techniques you will need to be prepared for studying at degree level.
• Mathematics for Engineering and Technology: Mathematics develops analytical and problem-solving skills and provides the knowledge to solve engineering and coding problems. This unit will provide you with confidence in mathematics and enable you to perform calculations on a range of scientific data from engineering, creative technologies and computing disciplines.
• Introduction to Information Systems Analytics: Most computer applications are part of a greater system focused on the needs of an organisation. It is therefore important to understand an organisation’s processes, needs and objectives allowing appropriate systems to be designed and implemented. This unit covers the approaches and methods by which such factors can be investigated, modelled and understood, within the context of computing technology.
• Introduction to Programming: In this unit you will develop a basic knowledge and understanding of computing programming and demonstrate basic coding and problem solving skills through the design, build and testing of a small application.
• Foundation Year Engineering and Technology Project: You will design, carry out and report on an engineering or technological investigation, based on an agreed topic chosen by the unit leader. You will carry out a research task for further investigation. With a focus on global context and sustainability, the student will also produce a literature review.

Year 1
Core units

• Computer Fundamentals – understand the concepts and terminology of computing, networking, communications, security, and virtualisation. 
• Mathematics for Computing – this unit will equip you with the mathematical knowledge for modelling and solving real-world computing problems. 
• Programming – develop the skills and understanding to implement software solution to different problems whilst gaining hands-on experience in programming and testing. 
• Network Essentials – learn about common network hardware, as well as the terminology and basic concepts of networking.  
• Introduction to Cyber Security – find out about fundamental cybersecurity concepts, tools and techniques in a team approach. 

Elective unit

• Computing and Society – learn about mapping computer techniques, concepts and principles in line with sustainability. 

Year 2
Core units

• Ethical Hacking – develop skills in ethical hacking, and associated security techniques and practices.
• Software Engineering – learn about the theory and practice of software engineering such as the software development process. 
• Security Operations (SecOps) – gain the skills to detect security breaches and effectively respond via an understanding real-time security monitoring and data feeds providing security intelligence. 
• Network and Cyber Management – acquire the principles and practices of network configuration and management needed for state-of-the-art computer network infrastructure. 
• Technological Innovations in Cyber Security – building on previous programming knowledge, you will learn about uses of emerging technologies and how to develop cyber security solutions in a team approach.

 Elective unit

• Software Business – gain a deeper understanding of the unique aspects of software business, the various business models and innovations. Suited to those interesting in setting up a software company. 

Placement year

• Although you will be enrolled onto the four-year degree, you can opt out of the placement year. However, the placement year offers you a chance to gain experience and make contacts for the future. You’ll complete a minimum 30-week industrial work placement which can be carried out anywhere in the world. 

Final year
Core units

• Digital Forensics – this unit provides you with the skills, techniques and technologies necessary to conduct a digital forensic investigation, building on previous knowledge. 
• Human Computer Interaction – gain an understanding of the role of Human Factors (HF) and integration of its elements into the development of complex socio-technical systems. 
• Individual Project – the Individual Project is an opportunity to pursue a topic of your choice. You’ll identify a problem and then select and implement a solution to solving that problem. 

Optional units

• Digital Innovation and Transformation – learn the skills, techniques and technologies that are necessary to develop a digital portfolio based on digital transformation in business innovation efforts. 
• Systems Development – gain a critical understanding of the design, development and deployment of enterprise grade applications to allow organisations to scale their IT provisioning in an agile way. 
• Data Visualisation and Storytelling – develop the skills of data/information visualisation and visual analytics so that you can design efficient and effective data visualisations.  
• ​Software Quality Assurance.- learn about software quality assurance (SQA) and the techniques for appraising software quality so that you can construct software to the required quality. 

Please note that option units require minimum numbers in order to run and may only be available on a semester by semester basis. They may also change from year to year.

Elective units

• Digital Futures – drawing from technical, legal and social disciplines, learn about the role of digital technology in society and how it affects the individual.  

Programme specification

• Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.
• Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.
• If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Facilities

• With practical learning being integral to your degree, we provide industry standard specialist facilities. 
• We continue to invest in our campuses so all our students can maximise their talents today and into the future. 
• Visit our virtual tour to find out more and get a feel for where you’ll be studying while you’re based on our Talbot Campus. 

Placements

• At BU, we recognise that placements are extremely valuable and can give you a head start when it comes to your future career. That’s why we offer every new student the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of their course.
• Your optional placement will begin after your second year of study and must last a minimum of 30 weeks. While finding a placement will ultimately be down to you, we will provide a great deal of support to help you find the most appropriate placement for the subject you’re studying and the career you’re interested in, which means you could be based anywhere in the UK, or even overseas. 

Careers

• This degree will provide you with a broad range of technical computing knowledge, as well as allowing you to specialise in the forensic aspect of computing, covering investigation and IT security. This will make you a diverse professional who is equipped to take on a variety of roles once you graduate.
• There are a number of career paths open to you, especially in specialist to forensic computing and security roles.

Typical starting job roles

There are a number of career paths open to you, but those specialist to forensic computing and security include:

• Police Forensics Investigator
• Forensics Consultant
• Security Adviser for Business Continuity
• Information Security Analyst
• Security Systems Analyst.

Industries worked in

• Cyber security
• Technology
• ICT
• Forensic computing.

Further study

• Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees.